'What about the poor people's rights?' The dismantling of social citizenship through access to justice and welfare reform policy



Sigafoos, Jennifer ORCID: 0000-0003-2953-7744 and Organ, James ORCID: 0000-0002-3056-6000
(2021) 'What about the poor people's rights?' The dismantling of social citizenship through access to justice and welfare reform policy. JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, 48 (3). pp. 362-385.

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Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Recent extensive reforms to the welfare system and concurrent reduction in the provision of free legal advice have had a major impact on the meaning of social citizenship. This article examines this changed meaning, drawing mainly on the findings of a study funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission into the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. The study provides evidence of the interrelationship between civil and social rights, and of how the changes to legal advice provision have had a negative impact on the ability of citizens to establish or enforce welfare rights. The effect is a perception that the state is failing to uphold its end of a reciprocal bargain with its citizens. We argue that limited reciprocity and inclusion, along with distrust in the system, have profound implications for social and civil rights, undermine the state's political legitimacy, and are causing the dismantling of social citizenship.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 4 Quality Education, 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 10 Reduced Inequalities
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 02 Mar 2021 08:07
Last Modified: 17 Mar 2024 11:20
DOI: 10.1111/jols.12312
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3116329